MAZDA MOTORSPORTS: ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA NEWS AND NOTES

January 27, 2016 by Mazda

- New team members include NASCAR spotters for Mazda Prototype team -

IRVINE, Calif. (January 27, 2016) – When the green flag falls Saturday at 2:40 pm Eastern Time for the 2016 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, it will mark the first race for the new Mazda MZ-2.0T engine. The two-liter, inline four-cylinder turbocharged engine produces approximately 570 horsepower and, with its speed and strong drivability, is expected to make the two Mazda Prototypes contenders for pole and podium honors. The two-car Mazda team includes the No. 55, driven by Tristan Nunez, Jonathan Bomarito and current Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot; in the No. 70 car, the lineup consists of Tom Long, Joel Miller and Ben Devlin.

New Team Member for Mazda Motorsports Family

Camden James Long is the newest Mazda Motorsports team member. Camden, the first child for Mazda Prototype driver Tom Long and his wife Kara, was born at 11:58 am on Saturday, January 23. While at 8 pounds,1 ounce, and just one week old, he has yet to get behind the wheel of a race car. Camden did send his first Tweet (@CamdenJamesLong) several hours after his birth.

Drivers in the Sky

The Mazda Prototype team will have no shortage of drivers on the pit box and above the track in the spotter's stand. SpeedSource team owner Sylvain Tremblay, who will be on the pit box for the full 24 hours, is a two-time GT class winner (2008, 2010) in the Rolex 24. The team's lineup of spotters also includes men with proven track records behind the wheel.

Rick Carelli, nicknamed 'the High Plains Drifter,' has a long and successful career in NASCAR, driving to multiple victories in the NASCAR Craftsman (now Camping World) Truck Series. He is now spotter for 2004 Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch, and general manager of NTS Motorsports in the Truck series. Carelli will be spotting for the No. 55 Mazda during the 24 Hours along with Daniel Tremblay, son of the SpeedSource team owner. Daniel, who is 16 years old, recently won his first race in a Mazda Spec Miata as well as sampling a Mazda Prototype Lites car.

Spotting for the No. 70 Mazda will be Tim Fedewa and Andrew Carbonell. Fedewa is the spotter for 2014 champion Kevin Harvick in the Sprint Cup series, and earned multiple wins as a driver in more than 330 starts in the NASCAR Busch (nee Xfinity) Series. He is joined by Carbonell, a Mazda factory driver in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series. Carbonell finished third in last year's Continental series point standings for the ST class in his Mazda MX-5.

Mazda's Strong MX-5 Lineup for the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series

Mazda will have five MX-5 Miatas in the Street Tuner (ST) class for Friday afternoon's Continental Tire series race (two hour, 45-minute race starting at 1:45 pm ET). Freedom Autosport will have three cars in the field, with defending ST class champions Stevan McAleer and Chad McCumbee in the No. 25, car Andrew Carbonell and Marine Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Liam Dwyer in the No. 26, and Britt Casey Jr. and Danny Bender (a top Mazda salesman in the Chicago area and Mazda MX-5 Cup race winner) in the No. 27. Consistent with their activities to never forget the sacrifices our uniformed men and woman make daily, Freedom Autosport is dedicating Friday's race to the memory of the 12 US Marines who perished in a helicopter crash in Hawaii earlier this month.

Alara Racing is back for a full season in 2016 with the No. 34 Mazda MX-5. At Daytona, Christian Szymczak and Justin Piscitell will be behind the wheel. Riley Racing has entered the No 66 Mazda MX-5, with drivers AJ and Jameson Riley.

The Mazda MX-5 Experience at Daytona International Speedway

Mazda welcomes everyone in attendance at the Rolex 24 to drive the new fourth-generation Miata at the Mazda MX-5 Experience. The free-to-participate event is located behind the Daytona Rising grandstand along International Speedway Boulevard, just outside the infield tunnel at Turn 1. Fans can also sign-up to drive at the Mazda consumer display in the infield. The tentative hours of the Mazda MX-5 Experience are Friday from 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday from 9 am to 9 pm and Sunday from 8:30 am to 2 pm.

Meet the Mazda Prototype Drivers

Media members at the Rolex 24 can speak with all six Mazda Prototype drivers in the Press Conference room of the Daytona International Speedway media center at 2:30 pm Thursday, January 28. (You can also make interview or photo requests for any Mazda Motorsports team member with Jade Gurss.)

Race fans can meet the Mazda racers at two autograph sessions during the Rolex weekend. From 12:30 until 1:15 Friday afternoon, prior to the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race, fans can get driver autographs at the Mazda consumer display in the infield, adjacent to the International Horseshoe. Prior to the start of the 24-hour race, fans can grab driver autographs from noon until 12:45 pm at the autograph session in the Fan Zone next to the garage area.

Mazda STEM Presentation Reaches More Than 1,200 Florida Students This Week

The national touring #MazdaSTEM program was seen by more than 1,200 students this week at high schools in Orlando and Port Orange, Fla. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) presentation is called R.A.C.E. (Racing Accelerates Creative Education) and is designed to motivate high school students to consider an education or career within the four STEM disciplines. Led by Mazda Prototype driver/mechanical engineer Joel Miller, the program has been seen by more than 20,000 students since 2014, and is a part of the Mazda Drive for Good philanthropic campaign.

Mazda Motorsports

Mazda Motorsports boasts the most comprehensive auto racing development ladder system of any auto manufacturer in the world. The Mazda Road to 24 program offers a number of scholarships to advance drivers up the sports car racing ladder which culminates in the Mazda Prototype team that races in the top level of IMSA sports car racing in North America. The Mazda Road to Indy is a similar system in open-wheel racing, which includes USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights racing categories with Mazda power. The new Global MX-5 Cup car makes its debut in 2016, with affordable, turnkey race cars available direct from Mazda. In the grassroots categories, more Mazdas road race on any given weekend in North America than any other manufacturer.

Photo credit: Mazda
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